


Fish Bowl

by Wintergrew



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Aquariums, Drama & Romance, M/M, POV Okumura Eiji, Photographer Okumura Eiji, Rating May Change, ash is a merman, human/mermaid romance, mermaid au, merman au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 04:56:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17440361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wintergrew/pseuds/Wintergrew
Summary: Recent college graduate Eiji Okumura is an aspiring photographer down on his luck. So when his long time friend and mentor offers him a gig at a New York City aquarium to photograph the grand opening of the exhibit for the world's first captive merman, he figures that this will be the big break he needs.That is, until things get more complicated than he ever could have dreamed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know I have several other wips I've been procrastinating on, but I've had this idea in my head and felt the need to write out at least one opening chapter. I guess this is sort of a test to gauge and see if people are interested in this (kind of cliche) concept!

Photography was not the easiest world, Eiji had come to realize very soon after graduating art school. Even still, he loved his field of work more than anything and couldn’t think of a better career path suited for him. He loved landscape photography more than anything,and longed to take photos that would be considered art to be hung proudly in a client’s home or in a museum. He specialized in landscapes, but he loved any sort of photography that focused on the beautiful world humans live in, be it urban, wildlife, or travel. He had been told by his instructors, mentors, and even some everyday people who viewed his photos that he had a talent and eye for photography. At first he was shy and humble about his own abilities, but he decided to go for it.

 

Still, supposed talent or not, he was finding it quite difficult to make an actual living. He was freelance, often selling his photos to art galleries or on his own website. Yet despite the comments he would get praising it, very few wanted to actually pay for his work. He tried to make his prices reasonable, but it was hard when that was his only source of income.It wasn’t the easiest world to be a part of, but he had the motivation and drive to do whatever it took or the perfect snapshot.

 

He had taken the shinkansen all the way to Niigata. There were already thousands of pictures of the nature of Niigata, of course, with its lovely mountains, ski resorts, and onsens. However, he was going to travel far more off the beaten path to get the exact spot he needed. It was a three or so hour hike on a steep mountain ridge to the onsen he was visiting, with no way to get there any other way. It was a pain carrying all his heavy photography equipment as well as an overnight bag, not to mention there was no cellphone service in the valley in case something went wrong. His shoulders ached and his feet grew tired, but still he went on.

 

He carried on the hours to the bottom of the valley where the hidden onsen was located. The way down was incredibly steep. He worried about dropping his camera the dozens of meters down the ridge, feeling the weight of it tug down his back. It was also a shame he had to watch his step over being able to take in the natural beauty, but he figured he could see it once he made it down.

 

Once he did make it down, he could definitely say it was worth it to him. The beautiful mountain range above, the clean fresh water stream, the old ryokan placed so far in the middle of nowhere. It felt so untouched, so much more remote than anywhere he had ever traveled. Of course pictures already existed, which was how he knew about the location in the first place, but he was excited to use his camera to share this untouched beauty few would brave the trek to. After checking in to the friendly little ryokan, he dug out his camera equipment.

 

There was a bridge between a campsite and the ryokan over the stream, so he set up his tripod there first. It had a perfect view of the stream, the onsen, and the lush green forest mountains. After, he decided to walk down the stream a while, snapping pictures here and there. Back at the ryokan he ate the quaint dinner they served him. He was sure to snap photos of everything within the ryokan as well. It was a wooden building that he wondered how they were able to bring everything to build it so far deep in the mountains.

 

The next day he was supposed to hike Mount Naeba, accessible from this valley, but he wasn’t sure if his legs could take it. It was an all day hike, and he still wouldn’t be able to have cell service in case of an emergency. Still, he decided to make the climb even if it killed him. Despite how much his body protested, he still forced his way up and up until he reached the summit. 

 

Although his lungs protested and his body screamed for him to lie down once he reached it, he still forced his body to set up his tripod. It was quite a beautiful with pools of water sitting at the top and a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and ocean. 

 

This would be his big break, he thought to himself as he tried to catch his breath. This was the most difficult trek he has ever made for the sake of photography, but it would absolutely prove to be worth it.

 

“I’m sorry, we’re just not interested at this time,” the curator at the gallery told him.

 

“Is there something wrong with my pictures?” Eiji asked. He had gone through the hundreds of photos he had taken on his last trip and by all accounts, based on everything he had learned in college, they were as good of photos as could be.

 

“No, there’s nothing wrong with them! They’re very lovely photos,” the curator insisted in an overly polite, apologetic tone, “Our clients just tend to be less interested in Japanese forests they feel they can see back home. We tend to prefer photos of foreign places...like Hawaii or Europe.”

 

Eiji frowned, but accepted her explanation with a heavy heart. This was the third rejection he had gotten for these photos. He had placed a few prints on his website and samples on his Instagram, but he had only been able to sell a few of his cheaper prints from this trip. Not nearly enough to help pay for his bills.

 

He sighed. He really did wish he could simply go abroad to take photos, but he really didn’t have the money. With his current finances, simply going from Shimane to Niigata already hurt his wallet. He had a very small, very cheap apartment, but as it was he was finding it hard to pay rent for even that. He just hoped that he wouldn’t have to swallow his pride and move back in with his family.

 

He could try to contact some overseas galleries, he thought. Perhaps they could be more interested in his pictures of Japan. Problem was, he had no name for himself and every email he tried to send out to places never garnered a response.

 

“You should try photojournalism,” Shunichi Ibe, his long time friend and mentor, told him at lunch, “I make a decent living working for a few different magazines as a freelancer. I can pull some strings if you want me to.” They were at a generic chain diner that Ibe recommended . Eiji agreed to meet him despite not particularly caring for it. He respected Ibe greatly, and always loved meeting up with him when he could. He was the one who first got Eiji into photography, afterall. 

 

“No thank you,” Eiji laughed as he poked at the chicken katsu he ordered, “I really appreciate it, but I don’t think that sort of thing is for me. I want to capture the beauty of the world for people to admire.”   
  


“You think my pictures don’t do that?” Ibe smirked.

 

“No, no,” Eiji threw his hands up defensively, “That’s not what I mean at all! I mean--”

 

“I know you’re wanting your work to be all on display at some high end gallery, but that takes time. You have to start somewhere to make a name for yourself, even if you don’t like it,” Ibe said as he took a bite of his grilled sandwich, “Plus, lot of the most classic photos we think of were made for newspapers or magazines, Eiji.”

 

“I know,” frowned, “It’s just…”

 

Truth be told, he did see value in photography published in the likes of National Geographic and such, but he thought Ibe was being misleading. He wasn’t out taking snapshots of war or faraway people, he was out snapping pictures of petty crime scenes and political events, something that didn’t have the least bit of interest to Eiji. Still, he wouldn’t say that to Ibe’s face.  

 

“Eiji,” Ibe leaned forward, more serious than before, “I know you’re extremely stubborn and once you make up your mind on something, you won’t back down. I know you have a complex where you feel like you have to push yourself to be the very best right away. But listen to me. I’ve been in this industry a lot longer than you and know a lot of people, some who ended up incredibly successful and others that gave up and went on to work at the local convenience store. So please take my advice when I tell you you have to work your way up  _ first. _ ”

 

“I know you’re trying to help and that your advice would suit a lot of people,” Eiji responded, “I’m grateful for all you’ve done and are willing to do for me...but I have to do things  _ my _ way.”

 

As it turned out, “his way” just a few months later led to him to a local mall studio where he snapped pictures of kids.

 

It wasn’t the  _ worst _ job in the world, he figured. The kids would often be dressed up in cute little outfits with cute little backdrops. He got to see the joy in the children's’ eyes and the adoration from their parents. Sometimes the photos were for very special occasions, and it was an honor for Eiji to be able to help formally document them. It could be a fun, fulfilling job. Well, part of the time.

 

The other part of the time he had to deal with screaming children who wouldn’t calm down. He had to reposition the littlest ones after they couldn’t sit still. Sometimes they’d knock over sets or tear off their props and costumes. Usually unintentionally from age, but other times from having a spoiled temper tantrum. Or even worse than screaming kids would be screaming parents. They would yell at him demanding to know why their perfect angel of a child didn’t look as gorgeous as they envisioned. How he must be a person with no photography experience they picked up off the street to make their kid look like  _ that _ .

 

He really wanted to go back to going out in the wilderness to snap photos of trees, he thought during his break. He took a big gulp of water from his water bottle. His throat lately seemed to be perpetually sore from yelling “Say cheese!” a thousand times. He sat down on a bench in the middle of the mall. Or rather, he practically collapsed into it. He really needed a break, even if was hard to ignoring the loud bickering in the mall as shoppers passed by.

 

“So mall photography is okay, but my photojournalism is stifling?” a familiar voice called out. Eiji choked on the water he was drinking. Ibe laughed as he sat on the bench next to him.

 

“I don’t need you to come here to make fun of me,” Eiji frowned as he put the cap back on his bottle. He knew he could have gotten a better job from Ibe, but his pride had gotten the best of him. He would rather take a lesser job that he got on his own than crawling to Ibe, admitting that he was right all along. 

 

“That’s not why I’m here,” Ibe patted him on the back, “I’ve been trying to contact you but you haven’t been answering me.”

 

“Because I know you’d you make fun of me!” Eiji protested red-faced, “Like you are right now!”

 

“No really, that’s not why I’m here,” Ibe insisted once more.

 

“Then what do you want?” Eiji scowled, “I have to get back to work in a few minutes, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

 

“You’re uncharacteristically grouchy,” Ibe noted, “This really  _ isn’t  _ for you.”

 

“Please stop,” Eiji’s face fell.

 

“I’m sorry,” Ibe frowned sympathetically, “But I’m serious. I’m here to offer you a job.”

 

“Why?” Eiji asked, “I turned down your offers before. You see that I selected this instead of seeking you out.”

 

“Yeah, but that was before. I know you don’t want to take pictures of crime scenes or high school sports, but I have something you might actually be interested in,” he explained, “Or at least, figured your desire to both go abroad  _ and _ take pictures of things you feel are ‘untouched’ or ‘overlooked’.” 

 

Eiji’s interest was immediately piqued, but he quickly grew skeptical once more. “You know I can’t afford to fly abroad right now.”

 

“That’s no problem,” Ibe told him, “It’s in America, in New York. The magazine is willing to pay for our airfare and hotel. It’s quite a big paycheck, too, much more than you’d make in months working at the mall. The person I was supposed to go with cancelled due to a family issue, so I put in a good word for you and might have shown them your online portfolio, and they agreed that you could do it.”

 

“New York?” Eiji’s eyes glowed, “I’ve always wanted to go there...but um, what sort of thing would we be documenting exactly.”

 

Ibe reached in his pocket and pulled out a newspaper. He placed it on Eiji’s lap. 

 

“The New York Aquarium caught a live merman and is going to put him in a grand new exhibition, and the newspaper I’ve been freelancing for a lot lately has been invited as press to cover this. Eiji, if you go with me, you’ll be one of the first people in the world to see a merman up close and show his image to the world. I know you feel like working for magazines is selling your soul, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We can discuss your contract further later, but for now...Please say you’ll come with me.”

 

Eiji ran his fingers over the headline. The picture was of the aquarium director--actual photos of the merman would be withheld until the grand opening.

 

“Okay,” Eiji breathed out, unaware that he had been holding his breath, “I’ll go with you.”

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you have proof of this?” the other man interrupted, removing the pen from his mouth, “The only first sightings of supposed mermaid carcasses being verified go back only within this past decade. You must understand that it raises questions that you supposedly captured a live one and brought him back, yet refuse to release pictures or give us a location of where he currently is located. You expect us to buy into this and give you money to fund some grandiose exhibit, yet have given the press nothing to verify him at this point.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for the feedback thus far! I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter :D

It was your typical office style meeting place, with a large, ovular table in the middle surrounded by (mostly) men and (some) women in suits. About 12 of them sat at the table, total. Most of them were there on behalf of investors, others representing the city, while other more were employees of the aquarium. It was a very secure meeting, with all of them being required to check in any cell phones, computers, or cameras and were scanned heavily for any sort of recording device. Bags and coats were also to be checked. Old school paper and pen notes only. They were, of course, given a clipboard and pen that had a section for notes, as well as basic schedule for the meeting, important information about the background of the aquarium, proposals, and so forth.

 

It seemed rather suspiciously secretive to some, but they declared that it was for the sake of not releasing images to the public early. It was not a completely off the record meeting in the sense that they were allowed to report back to their respective companies and departments. Still, they had to sign a waiver about image leaks and not sharing visual descriptions of anything they saw. There _was_ to be certain information off the record that they were strictly forbidden from sharing, which they would make abundantly clear when necessary.

 

“Good morning, everyone,” a man in a suit announced as he entered the meeting room. He was a man of probably only average height, but a decent build and air about him that gave off a strong presence. Although everyone wore suits, his was one that was clearly very well tailored and expensive, standing out from all the rest in the room. Everyone at the meeting immediately directed their attention from their clean notes on their tidy clipboards to look up attentively at the entering man.

 

“Good morning, sir,” they responded in near unison. That is, all except for one man. He instead merely gazed up from his clipboard with a questioning glare on his face. He put the edge of his pen to his mouth.

 

“I apologize for being at all late,” the man said as he walked to the presentation board at the end of the the table, “But as you can guess, things are very hectic lately. However, I want to thank you all for joining me today. As you all know, we are at a pivotal moment. Not just for this aquarium, but for all of mankind. We have proven that something that for so long we thought were mere legends, only the fantasy of the human mind. Yet now, we are for the first time coming into contact with something we had only dreamed of.”

 

“So it’s true then!” a woman spoke up, “You did capture an _actual_ mermaid?”

 

“Indeed,” he responded with a grin, “After years of attempts, we finally managed to capture a live one. It wasn’t easy and it put up a good fight, but it’s safe in our possession now. It’s currently housed somewhere safe, secure, and off the record until we can work on creating the grandest exhibit for it.”

 

“Do you have proof of this?” the other man interrupted, removing the pen from his mouth, “The only first sightings of supposed mermaid carcasses being verified go back only within this past decade. You must understand that it raises questions that you supposedly captured a live one and brought him back, yet refuse to release pictures or give us a location of where he currently is located. You expect us to buy into this and give you money to fund some grandiose exhibit, yet have given the press _nothing_ to verify him at this point.”

 

“What is your name, sir?”

 

“Max Lobo,” he responded, “Here on behalf of News Week.”

 

“I didn’t think this was a press conference, Mr. Lobo,” he raised an eyebrow.

 

“It’s not,” Max responded with a frown, “It seems callous that you wouldn’t know by now that News Week has been one of the biggest investors in the aquarium for decades. I’m here representing their interests, not as a reporter.”

 

“Very well,” he grinned, picking up a clicker to the projector, “I think you and your News Week will be very happy with this meeting today, then.” With a click of his finger he turned on the projector and flashed an image to the screen with a big DO NOT REPRODUCE watermark over it. Despite the watermark, the image was otherwise clear as day. The members of the meeting gasped.

 

“I can’t believe it,” one man mumbled. Max stared at the image closely, pen back in his mouth. To his eyes, appeared to be real. It didn’t look to be at all CGI or doctored, and he had come across a lot of fake images in his career. From the waist up the figure appeared to be the image of a young human male, while the bottom half was undeniably fish. The creature was in a dimly lit tank of water in what appeared to be a warehouse of some kind. His face was slightly covered by the letters of the watermark, but if Max had to guess, he didn’t look happy to be there.

 

“Well believe it,” he laughed, “Our bonafide merman.” He clicked through a few more images, all of the merman. Then he got to images that were a few of a large fishing boat in the middle of the ocean, net cast out. “Here’s where we caught him,” he explained. “Deep in the Atlantic Our experts thought this where we thought merpeople might be if anywhere due to the ocean temperature and tides that washed the corpses to shore, so we have been scouring the area for years in hopes to find one of these elusive creatures.”

 

He turned through to a video. It was a rainy day, with choppy waters, but the crew aboard the vessel pulled and pulled on the net all the same. The cameraman ran down and took a look at the net as it came up. There was a light “holy shit” that could be heard as the camera focused in on a figure caught in the net. It was hard to tell at first, but as the creature struggled, slowly it became clear that it was the merman in the other photos.

 

The crew in the video managed to pull the merman into the boat. The creature struggled and struggled against the net, trying to pull it off his body. Scientists quickly rushed to free him from the net, yet also held him down from escaping. As they removed the net and pinned him down, he continued to thrash around. As another man approached with something that Max could only guess was a tranquilizer, the clip ended.

 

From there, the presentation showed how they properly stored the merman. He showed some photos of a lab where he was examined. Some closeups of his scales, x rays of his anatomy, and other scientific jargon that was hard for Max to understand. Yet in every picture, the merman looked defiant. The presenter laughed, claiming that quite a few handlers got a black eye from him. Lastly, he showed concepts and progress on the exhibit they were creating.

 

“Are there more of them?” one person asked. He answered that there must be, but they haven’t yet found one. They would hope to expand their mermaid exhibition, but for now were looking to research and devote all their attention to the one they currently had.

 

“How long is he?” asked another. He said a little under seven feet, his tail longer than human legs. He also provided measurements of his tail and human torso respectively. He directed everyone to a page in their clipboard that already had a lot of this information, as well as further reading.

 

“Not to sound like PETA but he...doesn’t exactly look happy in every photo,” Max piped in, “Are you sure this is humane? How do we know he’s not human in intelligence? I mean...he looks pretty damn human to me. Doesn’t he have... _rights_?”

 

He smiled, looking straight into Max’s eyes in a way that gave him chills. “Believe me,” he said, “Despite being half human, he is also half fish in ways more than appearance. Although he might have a pretty little head, our expert team of scientists have been thorough with our tests. Merfolk do not have any noteworthy form of intelligence.”

 

\---

 

“Eiji,” Ibe called out, “Eiji! Are you even listening to a word I’m saying?”

 

“Huh?” Eiji’s head jerked up. To be honest, he hadn’t been. He had been in a sort of daze,really, idly sketching a mermaid on his napkin. He wasn’t the best artist, which is why he stuck to photography. Still, he liked to sketch sometimes. Especially when his mind was elsewhere.

 

“Eiji,” Ibe frowned as he picked up his coffee to take a sip, “I am sticking my neck out for you to get you this job, so I need you to take it seriously.”

 

“I _am_ ,” Eiji flushed red, “I _am_ taking it seriously. I’ve _told_ you, it’s all I can think about lately. I’m really excited for it, and am extremely grateful you are helping to give me this chance.”

 

“I know you’re thinking about it and I know you’re very excited,” Ibe took a drink of his coffee and put it back down, “But there’s a difference between _that_ and being professional and taking it _seriously_.”

 

Eiji pouted and grew even redder as he took a sip of his orange juice. They were back at the same mediocre chain diner Ibe liked. He tried to ignore his older friend’s bickering at him about contracts and standards and schedules, and stabbed away at his hamburger steak with his chopsticks like a small child. This was why he liked _his_ way of photography, not this contractual journalism photography for a specific purpose, with a specific angle he had to confine to. None of this “Fly in on this day”, “shmooze it up with this person,” “sit down for this meeting.” Not having to take a perfectly angled shot the way the moneybags wanted to pair with the headline. He wanted his artistic freedom. He wanted to just take his camera and meet this merman already. He wanted to photograph his tail, his face, the way he swam. Capture the beauty he knew he must have.

 

He wondered if it was nearly as beautiful as he imagined. The sort of life he had led. What mysteries were held by him.

 

“Hey, Ibe,” Eiji raised his head back up from his destroyed hamburger, “Do you think we can _talk_ with the merman?”

 

“Eiji, are you serious? How are you not listening to a word I’m saying.”

 

“Well _sorry_ ,” Eiji popped a bite of hamburger into his mouth, “It’s just...We’re going to New York City to see a _real life merman_.”

 

“I know,” Ibe sighed, raising a hand to grasp his temple, “Believe me, I know that all too well. But the answer is no, Eiji. This isn’t The Little Mermaid, this is a wild animal we’re talking about.”

 

“Humans are animals as well, you know.”

 

“Don’t do this,” he frowned, “He’s a fish, Eiji. From all accounts, despite looking partially human, his intellect is said to be closer to that of other fish. We don’t even know _how_ human he looks yet, for all we know it might look mostly fish with some vague humanlike details that they can slap on the ‘merman’ label. From what we _do_ know based on what researchers are saying, you’re better off trying to teach a dolphin or seal to talk than these supposed ‘part human’ merpeople. They look nice and it’s cool that the legends are cool, but that’s about it. Please stop fantasizing and be realistic about this.”

 

Eiji frowned. He didn’t buy it.

 

He didn’t know _why_ he didn’t buy it, exactly. He had obviously never met a mermaid. He had never even _seen_ one besides the pictures of the extremely decayed corpses and skeletons that washed to shore in Ireland a handful or so years ago. He only _really_ knew of legends and fairytales. Perhaps it _was_ him dreaming of some magical image of fantasy mermaids in his head. Perhaps he _would_ be incredibly disappointed once he saw the real thing.

 

Still, he liked to imagine that the merman had some form of intelligent thoughts and feelings. He wondered if he liked his new home. He wondered if he was scared when he first got caught, and if he has gotten accustomed to his new life yet. He wondered if he could do tricks and spins like a dolphin. If he would enjoy greeting all the happy patrons who would come to greet him.

 

Maybe he was just as curious about humans as Eiji was about merpeople.

 

He didn’t want to simply imagine something from The Little Mermaid movie, but...he did end up picturing him as looking like something from The Little Mermaid movie. He had to keep telling himself that it was a _boy_ fish, to stop him from picturing Ariel herself. He was unsure if he should picture a strong, muscular merman like Ariel’s father, but quickly decided against it. Instead, he pictured a young merman about his own age. Maybe on the smaller side. He figured he would have long hair, as underwater likely didn’t have scissors. Maybe red hair, like Ariel. And a green tail like her, too.

 

He realized he had gone full circle and was now just picturing a male Ariel.

 

“By the way, have you been practicing your English?” Ibe interrupted his thoughts once more, “You know no one there besides me is going to be able to speak Japanese.”

 

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “My parents put me in language school since first grade. I think I’m pretty good at English. Please don’t worry about me.”

 

\---

  


That night, Eiji plopped his large English textbook onto his bed and opened it. He groaned.

 

Sure, he had studied English most of his life and got all good grades in that subject, but when was the last time he really _used_ it? Certainly not in art school. His final in high school, five years ago now, maybe? He watched some American dramas every once in a while, but he usually focused so heavily on the subtitles that he didn’t really gain as much as he would have liked.

 

He sighed and flipped through some pages of the textbook, halfheartedly studying them. Mostly skimming.

 

It was silly, but it was motivation to him to think that he could communicate with the merman in English. In reality, he knew the merman had just as much reason to know Japanese as English, so it was just a silly fantasy that he knew would be smothered the moment he met him. Still, he liked to picture talking to him. He wasn’t sure what they’d discuss. The ocean maybe? Differences between human and mer culture?

 

He rolled onto his back.

 

Maybe he should just accept what Ibe told him. Mermaids don’t have any form of intelligence and he wasn’t going to be able to talk to him. Even if he _could_ talk he’d have his own mer-language which he probably wouldn’t be able to figure out.

 

Well, he should think of the positives even still. He was getting a _huge_ job, photographing this merman. He was going to get his big break with this. Once this job was over, his name would be so out there that he could just backpack the world and take all the artistic photos he wanted. No contracts, no schedules, nothing but his own artistic vision and freedom.

 

Still, he _really_ wanted to meet this merman.

 

\---

 

“We got our plane tickets!” Ibe called him bright and early in the morning.

 

“Really?” Eiji rubbed his eyes as he got out of bed. It was only 5:30 am. Eiji was generally an early riser, but this was an early call even for his standards. Unless, of course, he was trying to catch the sunrise or for some other photography related reason needed to be up that early.

 

“Yes! I just got the confirmation email and am forwarding it to you as we speak.”

 

“When are we flying out?” Eiji asked, running his free hand through his bed head hair. He noticed his old textbook had fallen from his bed to the floor overnight, and reached to pick it up. “Next week? Next month?”

 

“They want us the day after tomorrow.”

 

Eiji’s book slid from his grasp. “That soon?”

 

“Yeah, it’s just as much of a shock to me is as it is to you. Apparently they’re pushing a few meetings up and want us there to take pictures of him _before_ he’s moved to the aquarium. People are getting skeptical over the whole no pictures thing, but we’ve already had an agreement to have the rights to be among the first to release photos.”

 

“What about hotel?”

 

“Also covered, don’t worry,” he said, “It’s not some five star place, but given the length of our stay, I’d say it’s not... _bad_ , given that it’s free for us.”

 

That didn’t sound too promising to Eiji, but he smiled and laughed it off...a little more nervously than he was going for. He picked up the textbook once more and placed it on his bed. He really needed to cram today if he didn’t want to end up looking like a fool.

 

“Are you going to be okay, Eiji?” Ibe asked, sympathy in his voice.

 

“What? Yeah, of course!” Eiji insisted, “Don’t worry about me.”

 

“You didn’t lose your passport or anything? No cold feet?”

 

“Of course not!” Eiji laughed, “Sorry, I’m just waking up now. But I’m excited! As you said, this is a huge opportunity and a big break for us. It’s a little overwhelming, but I’ll be alright. No, more than alright--great!”

 

“Okay, well…” Ibe trailed, “Get ready and pack up. We’re leaving in two days!”

 

“Understood!” Eiji responded.

 

When the call ended, he quickly checked his email on his phone. Sure enough, the tickets were there, forwarded by Ibe.

 

This was really happening. He was going to America to photograph an actual, living merman. Actually _meet_ a merman before almost anyone else. Share his image to the world, making a name for both of them in the process. Giving Eiji the break he needed that he could actually get galleries to buy his photographs. Perhaps he would be able to travel the world and take all the photos he want, set up his _own_ gallery. Everything he ever wished for was coming true, falling right in front of him so perfectly, that he almost couldn’t believe it.

 

And it would all start the day after tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy lately and decided to put this fic lower on the priority list while I work on other ongoing ones. However IT'S MERMAY! I'll try to add another chapter before the month is over!
> 
> The New York aquarium is entirely fictional. I considered basing it off a real one, but decided against it. 
> 
> I also currently don't have a desktop or laptop, making it far harder to write/edit. Please excuse mistakes. It won't hurt my feelings if they're pointed out so I can fix them!!!

The tank was big, but not big enough according to expert opinions. Though to be fair, even if it was a tank the size of a stadium, it would seem small to someone who once had the whole ocean. It was also dark. Very dark.

 

“He doesn’t seem too happy,” the marine biologist answered as he stood beside his boss, looking into the tank.

 

“I don’t care if its happy,” he answered with a frown of his own, “I care that it fills its purpose here. After so long, guests will grow to be quite tired of seeing it merely sulking in the corner of the tank.”

 

It was somewhat pathetic to see the beautiful merman resting in the far corner of the tank. He did lash out with anger before, which would be expected from many creatures yanked out of their home and brought to a new place. Being examined, being prodded with needles, being carted to different places. Now, however, the anger seemed subdued. Like the merman had become  _depressed._

 

“Well, we don’t know yet how he’ll react to large crowds, but for now he seems more scared than anything. But also…” the marine biologist trailed off, unsure if he should continue.

 

“But?” the other man raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well, we’ve never had one of his kind in captivity before. We’re doing all guesswork on what he likes, how he’ll fare. We don’t...We can’t even say for sure if he can even _survive_ in this sort of captivity.”

 

“He’ll survive,” he laughed, “I invested too much money in him to expect anything but him maintaining a long, long life here. I will expect nothing else from your expertise.”

 

\---

 

The long trip to New York was relatively uneventful. They had three flights total. A short one to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, a long one to Barcelona, Spain, and another long one to New York itself. The plane to Europe was fine enough, but the American owned airlines that took them to New York was much more cramped and uncomfortable. That said, all of Eiji’s feelings of claustrophobia and discomfort instantly faded when the captain announced that they were approaching New York.

 

Eiji looked out the airplane window and admired the massive city as it became visible. Sure, he had been up to Tokyo a handful of times and it was technically a lot bigger, but this was _New York City_. A city he had always dreamed of going to, but had only ever seen on TV. One of the major places of his travel bucket list was finally going to be marked off. It was close to sunset, the skyline of the breathtakingly tall skyscrapers would make an incredible picture, making him sad he didn’t have his camera and could only rely on his phone camera. Which of course, he snapped quite a few pictures of gleefully.

 

“I’m glad to see you so excited,” Ibe said from the middle seat next to him, “But remember, we’re here for business.”

 

“Of course!” Eiji responded, his face still pressed to the window. Ibe didn’t get much reassurance from this.

 

They got off the plane (Ibe had to practically hold Eiji back to prevent him from crashing through people to get off the plane first)and went through customs. It wasn’t as hard as Eiji had feared, though using his English in a formal, important setting like that was quite harrowing. Still, he was in America now. He was going to have to rely on his English.

 

They were greeted at the airport lobby by a friend of Ibe’s from the the newspaper they were working for, The Midday Report. The American and Japanese branches of the newspaper were for the most part independent from each other, but Ibe had met him when he came to New York for work before. Charlie, his name was. As only so many people were allowed in, Charlie was going to write the article and it would be translated internationally for the different country publications with Ibe and Eiji’s pictures used. Charlie seemed about Ibe’s age with red hair and was kind enough, even if he did make a comment on how young Eiji looked. Eiji never appreciated people pointing out he looked half his age. Still, he didn’t seem like a bad guy and took the two of them in his car to drive them to their hotel in Manhattan.

 

Much like Narita was quite a bit away from central Tokyo, JFK Airport was from downtown areas of New York. It was a long drive in the dark through areas that weren’t incredibly interesting to him, but it was better than paying quite a lot for a taxi. Ibe and him catched up on things in English, but Eiji found himself too uninterested to try and follow their conversation. Once they reached Manhattan with its tall buildings lit up on the other hand, he became far more interested having the same feeling of awe as when their plane descended. He pulled out his phone once more and snapped as many pictures as he could.

 

Charlie dropped them off in front of their hotel. He helped them get their bags out of their car, but otherwise said goodbye rather quickly. The bellman helped them, they checked in, and the two of them arrived to their room. It was a fairly normal hotel room that the newspaper provided for them. Eiji wanted to leave it, to go out on the streets and get some real New York food, but Ibe protested that they were both too tired and had a big day ahead of them tomorrow that they needed to get their rest for.

 

\---

 

Eiji found himself having no trouble getting up early the next morning. The light seeped into their hotel window and onto his twin bed. (Eiji, naturally, took the one next to the window, even if the view from it was nothing more than another plain building.) He actually awoke about ten minutes before the alarm Ibe set went off.

 

Ibe awoke with a large yawn and was pleasantly surprised to see Eiji already up and had fixed them some tea that the hotel provided. They were to eat breakfast that was to be provided to them at the meeting today.

 

Ibe said it wasn’t that common in his experiences for there to be so many meetings and such to be able to report on this. “Merman or not, it’s an aquarium exhibit we’re reporting on, not some political conspiracy.”

 

“I can see why it’s a big deal,” Eiji shrugged as he digged through his luggage to find an outfit nice enough to wear, “The merman is basically a mythical creature come to life.”

 

“You’re not wrong, but still…” Ibe trailed off.

 

“It also makes it all more exciting,” Eiji smiled, carrying his things to the bathroom to get ready, “We get to see everything before everyone else. We get to reveal to everyone this mythical creature.”

 

“At least you’re taking it seriously,” Ibe laughed as Eiji shut the bathroom door.

 

It took them a little over an hour doorknob to doorknob to reach the aquarium. The subway they took to get there was incredibly dirty and full of rats near the tracks--far dirtier than any in Japan, including big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Still, he felt like it was part of the “New York experience” so he didn’t comment on it.

 

The aquarium was in Queens. It was a very massive complex that had architecture that reminded Eiji of a museum. Banners of dolphins, seals, seabirds, and other animals were everywhere, reminding him that it was, in fact, an aquarium.

 

“Pretty impressive, huh?” Charlie called out to them in greeting where they met outside.

 

“Yes, it is,” Eiji said, his mouth slightly ajar. In his home prefecture of Shimane there was a large and quite nice aquarium, famous for its beluga whales. He loved going to it when he was younger to look at the fish and enjoyed going to it as an adult to take photos. Even so, he was excited to see any aquarium--let alone one that was housing a _merman_ , something that made the beluga whales of his home aquarium sound quite unimpressive.

 

The aquarium was completely shut down for renovations. Doing so was considered risky financially, but they figured that their numbers would raise exponentially due to the merman. For that reason, the only other people there were other people in suits going to the same meeting. The professionalism of this somewhat intimidated Eiji, but he followed the other two through the large glass front doors.

 

The lobby of the aquarium was, of course, lavishly decorated with an expectable under the sea sort of theme. However, without being given much time to take it in, he was guided to a table to check in and take his press pass and guided into a typical looking office to await the meeting. A lady came and provided coffee. Eiji let his sit.

 

Figuring it would be a bad look to at his phone while he waited, he instead twiddled his thumbs and impatiently waited. It was a rather large conference room, but given the nature of it, he was surprised it wasn’t larger. Ibe had told him that they were only letting a limited number of press in, them being the only ones from Japan. There were a few others he suspected where from foreign countries as well, but the overwhelming majority of them appeared to be American. He was sure that a number of them were likely famous, but Eiji wouldn’t be able to recognize most famous Japanese reporters, let alone ones from different countries.

 

“Hey kid, who are you working for?” the man to the left of him asked.

 

“The Midday Report,” he answered, frowning at being called “kid”.

 

“I see,” he took a sip of his coffee, “Max Lobo. News Week.”

 

“I’m Okum--Eiji Okumura,” Eiji decided to tell him.

 

“I take it you’re from Japan?”

 

“Yessir.”

 

“Ha, you’ve come a long way for an aquarium expansion,” he laughed under his breath.

 

“Even in Japan everyone is excited about a mermaid,” he tilted his head, “Is it more important to Japan than America?”

 

“That’s not it,” Max’s expression suddenly became more serious, “It’s--”

 

From there, the doors opened once more to let in an older man. Everyone in the conference room stood up, so Eiji followed suit.

 

“That’s Dino Golzine,” Ibe whispered in his ear in Japanese, “He’s the owner of this aquarium...among other things.” Eiji wondered what the _other things_ could be but simply nodded.

 

The man--Dino Golzine--told everyone to take a seat. He had a quite thick accent that clearly wasn’t American, though Eiji wasn’t good enough at English accents to tell where he could be from. He already knew that today’s meeting was going to be mainly on procedures, what they could and couldn’t share, the history of the aquarium, and so forth. He knew Ibe and Charlie were busy taking notes, so he wasn’t too terribly interested in paying attention. For about an hour Dino droned on and on, Eiji losing his interest more and more. His stomach also grumbled. He was told that they were going to get breakfast, wasn’t he?

 

As if Dino could hear his thoughts, Dino announced that they were to go to a different hall to eat their complementary brunch. From then, they would get a complimentary tour of the aquarium. Eiji’s interest was finally peaked.

 

As everyone gathered to leave, Charlie and Ibe among them, he heard Max snicker. Eiji couldn’t help but look over to him.

 

“Incredible,” Max said, Eiji unsure if it was directed towards him, “They’re not going to show the pictures or footage of how they captured him to press.”

 

“There is already pictures?” Eiji’s eyes grew wide.

 

“Of course,” his laugh grew considerably louder, “What you think they got the money for this without showing investors that the merman is real first? I saw them already at one of their board meeting on a pretty little powerpoint.”

 

“Then why would they not show it to us?”

 

“Why do you think?” he laughed as he walked away with the crowd.

 

“Eiji come on,” Ibe called from a few feet away where he was already leaving with Charlie.

 

“Coming,” Eiji quickly grabbed his blank notepad and things to catch up.

 

“Who were you speaking to?” Ibe asked in Japanese.

 

“Just another reporter,” he answered.

 

The room where breakfast was served was actually a banquet hall, simply yet elegantly decorated. It was buffet styled full of American breakfast food. It wasn’t bad, but much of it seemed more like desert and he found himself missing his healthier Japanese style breakfast. To be honest, it would be hard for him to enjoy _anything_ when he was this excited to see the merman.

 

“Will they show us all of the aquarium or just mermaid?” Eiji asked Charlie and Ibe as he ate some of the toast.

 

“Eiji, do you not listen to anything?” Ibe frowned, giving him his signature look of exasperation and disapproval.

 

“Hm?” he asked with his mouth still partially full.

 

“They are actually just giving us a complimentary tour of the museum today,” Charlie explained with a much more patient tone, “Today is just a meeting for formalities. The merman exhibit won’t be open to press for another week.”

 

“What?” Eiji asked, his mouth dropping open with disappointment, “We do not get to see him today?”

 

“We’re all wanting to see him, Eiji. But _no one_ has yet,” Charlie said in a kind, reassuring tone. Eiji thought back to what the News Week reporter told him. He considered mentioning it to Charlie and Ibe, but decided against it. Instead he merely sunk into his seat, disappointed.

 

The tour itself did brighten his mood quite a bit in the end, however. How could he not be struck with awe and wonder in _any_ aquarium, especially one as impressive and state of the art as this. It was incredibly large, with each exhibit making him feel like he was in the bottom of the ocean himself--as if _he_ were a merman.

 

The aquarium in Shimane was impressive, but this was to a whole other level. There were so many different fish and sea creatures of every color of the rainbow he had never even known to exist. There were also many that he _did_ recognize and love, such as the tropical fish section or the stingrays.

 

As it was not open to the public, there were no formal shows, but they did show them the dolphin trainers training them. For a very short time, Eiji himself wanted to be a dolphin trainer, or at least swim with them. He was filled with joy when their guide brought them over and said they could pet them. Many of the reporters politely declined, but Eiji wasn’t about to pass it up. The dolphin trainer, a young woman probably in her mid 20s, laughed as after he washed his hands guided him over, signaled for the dolphin to swim up, and let Eiji pet it.

 

“Her name is Sally,” she explained to him, “She’s a ten year old Atlantic bottlenose.”

 

“Hello Sally,” Eiji’s face glowed with a smile as he gently pet her smooth, rubbery skin. The trainer laughed, but in a kind way that told him that she appreciated his interest. “Thank you,” he told the trainer and dolphin with a slight bow as he finished and went to return to the group.

 

His favorite part, however, ended up being the jellyfish section. He had always been enchanted by their beauty, and the very large section dedicated to them put him in a state of awe. He wondered what it would be like to be a jellyfish. He had read before that certain types were functionally immortal. They could spend eternity floating in the depths without a single care in the world. Well, on the flip side he was also pretty sure they didn’t have brain. He could have stayed there all day watching them, but before he was wanting to leave, the guide signaled for them to follow her.

 

She brought them down an empty hallway, the end of it being a closed off door.

 

“At the other side of this is our mermaid exhibit,” she announced, “As you know, we currently have one merman, but if all goes well we hope to expand and add more. You shall be experiencing it next week, but for now let’s continue.”

 

“Is he inside now?” Eiji found himself asking.

 

“Yes he is,” she answered with her customer service grin.

 

“Then why can we not see him today?” he asked, unintentionally flashing his big puppy dog eyes. Ibe groaned in disapproval.

 

“It is not yet ready,” she said, her smile growing more irritated, “We want to make sure our exhibit is of the highest standards before we show you all. But not to worry, you shall see it soon enough.”

 

Eiji didn’t really understand. Even if it was the most pathetic, barebones exhibit he couldn’t imagine anyone being disappointed by a real _merman_. He looked down the hallway longfully. The door was slightly ajar, there was no reason why they couldn’t just get a peek.

 

Still, with a sigh they continued the tour. The guide announced that they were to go to the Amazon river section. That was never incredibly interesting to Eiji.

 

He thought back to the slightly opened door. He wondered if he could just wander in without anyone noticing.

 

He could get in an incredible amount of trouble for doing that. He would have his press pass revoked, and would probably be blacklisted from quite a lot of things.

 

Yet he wasn’t interested in photojournalism. This was a one time deal, wasn’t it?

 

But still, it was just a week more. He could wait that long, couldn’t he?

 

“I think I left my wallet at the sink where I washed my hands to touch the dolphin,” he lied to Ibe in Japanese so no one else could understand.

 

“Oh no,” he responded, “We should alert the tour guide so we can go back--”

 

“No, I don’t want to be a burden to the tour,” he objected, “I’ll be right back before anyone notices.”

 

“Don’t run into trouble,” Ibe frowned, but let him go.

 

Eiji slipped away from the group, but he didn’t make his way for the dolphin section and felt his wallet bang against his leg in his pocket as he briskly made his way to the hallway. He wasn’t sure if the door was still going to be open. He wasn’t sure if a dozen people were on the other side. He would be careful. If it seemed risky, he would immediately turn back.

 

When he reached the hallway, he saw that the door remained as it was. He slowly and quietly approached it. When he did, he carefully listened. He heard nothing but the sound of water pumps on the other side. He looked through the small crack. He saw nothing.

 

He could always say he got lost. He could always pretend to not know English.

 

With a deep breath, he pulled open the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The NY aquarium is fake, but the one in Shimane called Aquas is in fact real! It's the one aquarium in Japan with belugas! https://www.kankou-shimane.com/en/?p=4217
> 
> Let me know what you think! Like I said, this fic will likely be slow for updates (though like I said, I'll try to update more for mermay) though....as a human being the amount of interest and feedback does influence motivation.
> 
> Feel free to follow my Twitter/Tumblr as well!  
> https://twitter.com/wintergrew  
> https://wintergrew.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, another chapter before the end of Mermay

The room was empty. Which was a good thing for Eiji, of course, yet incredibly surprising. There was not a single worker was running about, not even a janitor mopping up the floors. It almost felt too good to be true. Perhaps it was a trap of some kind? Still, he wasn’t going to turn back  _ now _ . Very slowly closing the door behind him without a squeak, he went in.

 

The enormously large exhibit was still clearly unfinished. There were paint buckets all around and mostly unfinished walls with a lot of blue tape still on them. There were tarps covering quite a lot of things, and information panels were leaning against walls, not yet hung up. Still, despite this he could see that it was coming along quite a lot. He figured that perhaps they didn’t want the noise and chaos of working on it while press was here. Despite being unfinished he couldn’t imagine it would take  _ that _ much longer. Of course, it didn’t make it any less odd that the door was unlocked without even a single guard hanging around.

 

At the very end of room with a very large tank at the far end and smaller ones around it. Eiji presumed from the setup that other sea creatures would be put in the others to make it less empty, but they were still yet to be full of water. The large tank, however, was quite full--but he didn’t see the merman swimming in it. It occurred to him suddenly that perhaps he was being stored somewhere else. It would explain the lack of security, for one. It is  _ just _ an unfinished hall, it wouldn’t matter nearly as much.

 

Still, he came all this way. He figured he might as well go and check for himself.

 

He walked slowly and as quietly as possible to not make a noise, alerting people outside. His paranoia flared and suddenly realized that for all he knew this place could be rigged like some spy movie. One wrong step and he could trigger a sensor or a trap door or something. Okay, maybe not a trap door, he assured himself, but a censor perhaps. Though one would think a censor would be at the door, not in the middle of the exhibit. Regardless...there wasn’t. All too easily, it wasn’t before long he came within arms reach of the cold glass wall of the tank.

 

Just like when he stood at the far end of the exhibition, he didn’t see any sign of a merman in the tank. It looked empty, almost pathetically so. Just concrete and clear water, no sets or decour or  _ anything  _ to make it appear to be some fancy underwater mermaid cove like what was said to be expected in the final exhibit. Of course, that was nothing compared to the fact he didn’t see the merman. Eiji had to accept defeat in that he was probably in some far away research center. He probably wouldn’t even arrive until right before the exhibit was to be shown off.

 

He just had to accept that this was all a waste. With his head low and letting out a sigh, he turned around to go back to the tour group. He had already been away for quite a while, and people were probably going to start getting suspicious. He should just be glad he was likely going to get away with this without getting in trouble. Ibe might be annoyed, but even if he hated disappointing him...he could live with that.

 

_ Thump thump! _

 

A noise hit against the glass just after Eiji took a few steps away from the tank. Eiji jumped. He straightened back up and Eiji turned around to see what the source of it could possibly have been. An engine or filter in the tank? The aquarium finally putting some of the features inside of it?

 

He was taken aback to see the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen in his life staring back at him.

 

It was the merman. Yet for a moment, before his mind had time to logistify this, Eiji wondered if it was a human cleaning tank. The face wasn’t the face of a fish creature that just happened to have some humanlike features. The hands that pressed up against the glass were not fins like a seal or even webbed between the fingers at all. He had hair on his head just like a human. It was a light blond, and due to being under water floated all about his head but Eiji had to guess if he was on land it might just reach just above his shoulders. His skin was pale, which he figured was heightened from living underwater. Yet it didn’t seem to be textured or colored any differently from that of a human skin type. His eyes were jade green, but they weren’t a color that would be impossible for a human to have. His nose, his mouth, everything about his facial structure were  _ not _ of a sea creature that happened to have some humanlike features...They were completely indistinguishable from that of any Caucasian human male. 

 

His eyes slowly wandered down from the merman’s head and down his body. Once you got below his torso he was undeniably a merman. His human skin waist gradually, as if it were a gradient, turned into the tail of a fish. Itl was the same beautiful shade of jade green as his eyes. It was quite long, probably longer than his legs would have been if he was a human, and seemed to almost glitter in the light.

 

He found himself if he was a mammal or a fish. His human male-like chest and belly button seemed to indicate that he was a mammal, but from his tail he could see the slits of gills just like any fish. He didn’t mean to stare at the merman inappropriately, but he didn’t exactly...well  _ see _ humanlike primary sex traits on his tail.

 

The merman hit the glass again. Eiji’s wandering gaze went back up to his face and saw that he was giving him a quite irate glare. Not in an aggressive way, but in Eiji’s opinion in more of a “Are you  _ really _ doing that right now?” manner. Was the merman annoyed that he was looking at his body like that? Was it considered invasive? But then, wasn’t he told that merfolk had less intelligence than a dolphin or seal, more like an everyday fish? In that case, how would a merman even consider such a thing?

 

For that matter, why was the supposedly unintelligent merman trying to get his attention? Why was he looking upon him with such a... _ human _ expression? He certainly didn’t  _ seem _ like some mindless creature. If anything about his upper body seemed abnormal it was just how beautiful it was. His face looked like one of those he’d expect to belong to a model. The type of face that would only exist in Eiji’s photos after he did an extensive amount of touch up work in photoshop on an already attractive model.

 

As their eyes locked, the merman’s irritated expression faded into a far more inquisitive one. As if he was as interested in studying Eiji’s expression as Eiji was the reverse. Maybe the merman had never seen an Asian before? He did see an Asian worker in a lab coat walking through, but he wasn’t even sure if he worked directly with the merman. Eiji’s mind instantly wondered for a brief moment if mermaids had races like humans, or if the all kind of looked Caucasian. Were there mermaids that looked Japanese, too? 

 

He realized he was presuming the intelligence of the merman again. It was just...it  _ seemed _ so intelligent. More so than the dolphins he had recently touched, and  _ they  _ were impressively smart as it was. Could it be the scientists were wrong?

 

Slowly, Eiji raised a hand. The merman looked at it skeptically, but Eiji kept his movements slow as to not frighten him. Oh so slowly and gently, he outstretched the palm of his hand and placed it on the glass of the tank. The merman raised an eyebrow at it, but spent a few long moments merely looking at it. Until all of a sudden, he reached out his own slightly bigger hand and put it up to Eiji’s.

 

The two looked at each other’s hands, separated only by the few centimeters of glass. Eventually, Eiji looked back at the face of the merman. Seeing this in his peripherals, the merman looked back to him as well, his expression still incredibly inquisitive. Eiji couldn’t help but smile.

 

The merman seemed incredibly taken aback by the smile, even more so than when Eiji reached out his hand. He retracted his hand and float back a few centimeters, his mouth slightly ajar.

 

Eiji couldn’t help but giggle like a small child. “It’s okay!” he insisted, smile even larger and brighter than before, “I do not want to hurt you!”

 

He said it in English, but once he did he wasn’t sure why. He might be in America, but even if the merman was capable of learning human languages, it would be just as likely to know Japanese as English. He also wasn’t entirely how well he could hear him through the thick glass. Still, he hoped the message would get across regardless.

 

It did. The merman’s apprehension faded. The edges of his mouth seemed to begin to twitch into a smile as well.

 

But they didn’t. Before he could, the merman’s eyes suddenly grew large with alarm and before Eiji could blink, he swam away at an amazingly quick speed. Eiji leaned forward to try and see where the merman swam off to, but before he could he felt a large hand come down upon his shoulder.

 

Eiji was busted. He knew he was going to be in an incredible amount of trouble. At the very least he was going to have his press access revoked and at worst the cops would be called and he could get arrested for trespassing. The excuse of claiming to not know English and going through the wrong door by mistake might have worked if there was someone immediately on the other side when he first went through the door if someone on the other side scolded him, but he couldn’t use that when he was up close and personal to a merman like this. He just hoped this wouldn’t negatively impact Ibe. He had nothing to do with this.

 

“Disheartening, isn’t it?” a recognizable voice behind him said.

 

Eiji turned around. It was Max Lobo, the reporter from earlier.

 

“I’m sorry sir,” Eiji quickly scrambled for words, “I know I shouldn’t have come here, but--”

 

“Relax, I’m not supposed to be here either,” he laughed, lightly smacking Eiji on the shoulder before removing his arm. “Though you should consider yourself lucky I figured out what you were doing. There are cameras everywhere, you know.”

 

“Then...?” Eiji found himself confused. At the same time, he felt incredibly stupid. Max had gestured to the cameras. They were there clear as day. Eiji had no idea how he missed that little detail when he decided to sneak in.

 

“I might have snuck in and looped the security videos down this area for a little while,” he winked.

 

“I’m an investigative reporter,” he shrugged in an exaggeratedly casual way with a smirk, “I know a lot of tricks in the book.” His expression grew more stern and he looked down Eiji with an incredibly serious gaze and added, “Given how I prevented you from getting in a world of trouble, I presume you’re not going to go around telling people that.”

 

“Oh, of course!” Eiji insisted, flying his hands up defensively. Yet still, this didn’t make sense. Why would a reporter with spy-like skills hack into a camera security system for him? Why would he come for him, anyway? Why did he say those cryptic things about this aquarium to him at the breakfast banquet? 

 

“We’ve both been gone too long We better get back before they start looking for us,” Max interrupted his thoughts before he could figure out what he wanted to ask. 

 

“Okay,” Eiji nodded, “But I am wondering--”

 

Max reached into his pocket and reached over to give it to Eiji as they started to exit the exhibit. “Here’s my card. Feel free to contact me and we can talk more about this then.”

 

“O-Okay,” Eiji replied hesitantly, reaching for the card. He was handed it with one hand so very casually—very much unlike the two handed formal way that was common in Japan. He tried to look at it, but Max had already begun to walk away.

 

The two went back without sharing another word. Luckily, Max seemed to know the path of the tour and was able to perfectly catch them up to the rest of the group before long. Ibe was hanging around the tail end of the crowd, his body language very clearly impatient.

 

“Ibe!” Eiji called out in a loud whisper.

 

“Eiji! Do you have any idea how long you’ve been gone?” Ibe scolded in Japanese, “Tell me you at least found your wallet.”

 

“I did,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. Of course, it had been in his pocket the entire time, but Eiji didn’t need to know that.

 

Ibe looked skeptically towards Max. “Isn’t that the man you were talking to earlier? Why are you with him?”

 

“I don’t speak Japanese, but I went to the restroom and saw that he was lost,” Max piped in quietly, “So I helped him back.”

 

“Is that true?” Ibe asked in Japanese in a neutral tone that hid his skepticism.

 

“Yes, he did!” Eiji answered in English, “Thank you so much for helping me, sir.”

 

“Sorry about him,” Ibe gave a small apologetic bow, “He can be a mess sometimes.” Ibe bought it. Good. Enough that Eiji was able to forgive the fact Ibe spoke about him as if he were a child.

 

“No problem, I’m just glad I happened to notice him.”

 

There was a little bit of the tour through the museum left but, unlike the first half, at that point Eiji found himself no longer interested. The guide showed off a state of the art touch pool for sea cucumbers and starfish, something added this past year that was a big hit with children, but Eiji found himself unable to care.

 

All he could think about was the green eyed merman.

 

He didn’t think that was abnormal. He was one of the first people in the world to see a real, living and breathing  _ merman _ afterall. It would be a life changing experience for  _ anyone _ . 

 

Yet at the same time, the whole ordeal troubled him. 

 

As the tour ended and they went through all the formalities of shaking hands and saying goodbye to the staff, Charlie drove Eiji and Ibe back to Manhattan. The two objected to his generous offer, but he insisted. Eiji let Ibe take the passenger seat while he threw his things next to him in the back seat.

 

“I knew going in it was just going to be a bureaucratic meeting of sorts, but I gotta say that the child in me was disappointed that we didn’t get any glimpses of the merman. I was hoping they’d surprise us in some way,” Charlie mentioned as he pulled out of the parking lot.

 

“It is odd,” Ibe agreed, “I considered maybe that the mermaid is more fish than we would imagine, and they don’t want to disappoint. But if that is the case, hiding him only brings more suspense.”

 

“Right,” Charlie nodded, “But they say that merfolk are real dummies with no real intelligence. That already squashes part of the whole Little Mermaid dream, so it better look pretty cool.”

 

Eiji’s mind couldn’t rid itself of images of the merman. Sure, dolphins knew how to swim up and do tricks, they were known for being incredibly intelligent. Yet the eyes of this merman were unlike any sea creature. They looked at him  _ inquisitively _ they even so much as  _ glared _ at him. When Eiji put his hand up to the glass, the merman did in return. Sure, he was biased from the beginning, but was he really supposed to believe an  _ unintelligent animal _ did that?

 

“How do they  _ know _ it’s not intelligent?” Eiji cut in.

 

“Eiji, how many times have we been over this?” Ibe frowned.

 

“I know, I know!” Eiji slouched down in the back seat, furrowing his brows in frustration at how Ibe spoke to him like a child yet again, “You said to me scientists study him. But  _ how  _ is such a thing decided?”

 

“I’m not a scientist,” Charlie answered in a less condescending tone than Ibe, “But from what it sounds like, they’ve done some quite extensive tests. Some practical intelligence tests, some brain scans.”

 

“Brain scans?” Eiji’s eyes widened.

 

“Yeah,” Charlie laughed, “It’s probably a good thing it came up so low. Based on the research they’ve released to my office--which was heavily redacted, mind you--they’ve done just about every test under the sun to it. I’m no PETA, but the poor thing is probably terrified of humans now.”

 

“You say that, but animal groups are already saying they will protest,” Ibe added with an exasperated sigh.

 

“Do you think they are right?” Eiji asked.

 

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked as he looked at Eiji from the dashboard mirror.

 

“Maybe it is cruel?”

 

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Charlie chucked, “No more than any other fish. I think some people are just uncomfortable because he supposedly looks human, but really it’s those killer whales at SeaWorld people should be worrying about. Or hell, worry about the  _ dolphins _ at the aquarium who are  _ damn _ smart.

 

“I see,” Eiji fiddled with his thumbs.

 

When they arrived back at the hotel, Charlie offered to show them around the area just outside Times Square where they were staying and even get them a late lunch at one of his favorite pizza places. One that was great but not overcrowded with tourists, he insisted. Ordinarily Eiji would be thrilled to take up the offer and his finger itched to take pictures of the sprawling city in the daytime, especially in places less well known. He was hoping to take a few great shots just around New York that he could sell--a job while doing a job.

 

“You two please go!” Eiji said with a fake smile, “I didn’t sleep good last night. Now I would like to rest.”

 

“Are you sure?” Ibe asked.

 

“Yes, yes!” Eiji’s said as he playfully waved for emphasis, “You should spend time as friends!” 

 

“Do you at least want us to bring you back a piece of pizza?” Charlie asked, still a little thrown off by Eiji’s rejection.

 

“If it is no trouble!” Eiji’s fake smile grew, “But please do not worry about me!”

 

Eiji was always a terrible liar. Ibe eyed him somewhat skeptically, but Eiji continued to give little forced chuckles. Eventually, Ibe relented and went with Charlie, leaving Eiji in the lobby of the hotel.

 

Eiji went back up and immediately threw himself back on his bed with a heavy sigh. He  _ was _ decently tired, but he doubted he could sleep if he wanted to. 

 

He wanted to see the merman again.

 

Sure, he was going to. It wasn’t going to be long before the press preview of the exhibition. He would be with dozens if not hundred other members of press, many of whom would also be fighting for the perfect camera shot. 

 

He was also going to go to the grand opening ceremony as press. Where he would fight hundreds of people, all crowding around the glass to look upon the merman. Long waits to get to the glass of the tank that would probably be wall to wall. Children probably beating upon the glass.

 

Was he selfish for wanting the same sort of one on one time with the merman again?

 

He also wondered what the merman would think about all the crowds. If Charlie was right, he would likely not be too fond of humans. He for whatever reason was alright with Eiji himself, even getting his attention. Yet the second that reporter approached, his eyes grew large and he swam away.

 

He didn’t know what to make of the reporter. The merman seemed frightened of him, but he had a feeling that he didn’t wish the merman any harm. To be fair, Eiji didn’t  _ know _ this, he could be some crazy person. He seemed to know quite a lot about what was going on that wasn’t shared to the public, but Eiji had no idea whether he could trust him. Yet for some reason, with as much as he was enamored with his encounter with the merman, he found himself not caring.

 

The business card felt like it was burning in his pocket. His hand itched to reach for it, to call him immediately and learn all that he seemingly knew. Eiji always avoided contacting people the same day he got their contact information, not wanting to seem too eager. Yet in this case he  _ was _ . He had bilingual business cards of his own, and in hindsight he wished in the rush of everything he gave him one.

 

With a sigh, he reached for the card from the deep pocket of his pants and looked at it even more closely. It was a pretty typical American business card that had his name, his phone number, his email, and the work address of NewsWeek. 

 

With a groan, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the phone number.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super fond of this chapter. Regardless, hope you all enjoyed. Feel free to give any feedback.


	5. Chapter 5

“How does our merman seem to be reacting to his permanent home?” 

 

“He’s…” the marine biologist trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to answer his boss. Should he give the honest answer, that he seemed to fare no better in the permanent tank of the exhibit than he did at the temporary research tank? That he seemed to be just as depressed, sulking in the corner all the same? That his team of researchers weren’t given  _ nearly _ enough time to figure out the proper tank and conditions for him, meaning they have no idea how he’ll hold up.

 

The time window the scientists were given was abnormally short. Suspiciously so. They should have been given months and months, probably even  _ years _ to figure the merman out, yet they were given mere  _ weeks _ and expected to have a health regimen and proper knowledge of how this poor creature would fare.

 

They had argued that they  _ couldn’t  _ give advice of what a proper habitat recreation would be when they still didn’t even have a clue what a merman’s  _ actual _ habitat looked like. They ran tests on him, but long term analyses couldn’t be done overnight--they needed  _ time _ .

 

Of course, those who argued too much with the money were dismissed. Replies of “don’t you know how fortunate you are to be given the opportunity to work with this creature?” Hints that their findings could lead them to a Nobel Prize. Reminders that if they wouldn’t do what was asked, they could easily be replaced with someone far more willing.

 

He  _ did _ feel incredibly honored to have this job, this position. The fact that he was  _ invited _ to this position had initially felt like a dream come true. He had decided years ago that he was going to dedicate his life’s work to studying merfolk, so he more than anyone wanted to spearhead the research.

 

“Well?” he prompted again.

 

“As I said before...We’re doing all we can, but we really don’t  _ know _ enough about him. For now, he seems to be reacting the same as he did in our research facilities.”

 

It was true that he was doing all he could. He had been working day and night trying to focus on his work, to the extent that it had become visibly taxing on him, worrying his family and close friends. Still, he worked and worked. He encouraged everyone on his team to work.

 

Still, the merman remained a mystery to them. They tried improving tank conditions, providing different types of food, even providing potential stimulating activities. Yet nothing. The merman simply sulked in the corner of his tank, wanting nothing to do with researchers. Nothing they tried to improve his conditions seemed to help in the slightest. It made him feel helpless.

 

“What is your name again?” the said man narrowed his eyes, interrupting his train of thought.

 

“Um...Dr. Soo Ling Sing, sir.”

 

“Tell me then, Dr. Sing. Aren’t you the man who got a PhD in marine biology for your work analyzing the mermaid corpses?”

 

“Yessir,” Sing nodded.

 

“How old were you at the time?”

 

“I was nineteen.”

 

“A child prodigy,” he smiled, “One who was able to raise through the ranks in life, learning at a far faster rate than normal people. Able to discover new things no one in the world had ever known. Is that wrong?”

 

“Well, no. I guess not,” he found himself fiddling with his security pass in the lanyard around his neck.

 

“So you’re telling me,” he replied as his eyes narrowed even further, “That even a child prodigy such as yourself, one who graduated high school at--what age again?”

 

“Fourteen.” He didn’t say it, but it was by the demands of his parents. He would have much rather stayed a middle schooler at that age.

 

“A boy such as yourself who graduated high school at fourteen and is one of the youngest PhD recipients in history  _ for _ mermaid research is unable to figure out how to take care of my merman?”

 

“Those mermaids were already dead!” he frowned, “We may have been able to determine some of their biology and diet from their corpses, but we only know very little about  _ how _ they live. We’d need to observe several of them in their natural habitat over...well, over  _ years _ .”

 

“You see, Dr. Sing, we still haven’t  _ found _ their habitat,” the older man replied with a somewhat mocking tone.

 

“We suggested to you to allow us to put a tracker on him so we could observe him and see more. Have him go back to his people. That’s the standard to our work.”

 

“So someone else could catch one?” he merely laughed.

 

An uncomfortable feeling grew in the pit of Sing’s stomach.

 

\---

 

Max Lobo didn’t answer.

 

There wasn’t even a voicemail attached to the number, merely ringing and ringing before eventually disconnecting. So Eiji called it again. And again. And another time for good measure. Still no answer.

 

He rolled over on the hotel bed onto his back, groaning loudly. So much for that. Maybe he  _ should _ have gone along with Charlie and Ibe. He pulled out the business card again from his pocket, holding it up above his head where he laid. 

 

Max Lobo. Newsweek. It had generic business address for the Newsweek headquarters, (he google searched the address to confirm this,) a phone number, and an email. MaxLobo@newsweek.com.

 

He groaned again, sitting up. He figured he should email, but he hated emailing, especially in English. Verbal English was hard enough, but at least any grammatical mistakes he made were gone as soon as they were spoken, not immortalized in print forever.

 

He called one more time. Still no answer. He groaned a third time, opening the mail app on his phone.

 

_ Dear Max Lobo, _

 

No, too casual.

 

_ Dear Mr. Lobo, _

 

That was better.

 

_ This is Eiji Okumura. I was very happy to meet you today. I want to talk to you more about the mermaid. _

 

He was very awkward with emails. He cringed reading back at it.

 

_ Please contact me to talk more. I prefer phone calls, so please call +81-xx-xxxx-xxxx. Thank you. _

 

_ From, _

_ Eiji Okumura, photographer _

 

He hit send before he could think about it further. After the swoosh sound of the sent message played, he flopped back onto the bed. 

 

To his surprise, his phone almost immediately made a chime noise. He received an email.

 

_ Eiji-- _

_ Let’s meet Saturday at noonish. Will send details later. _

 

Eiji’s heart beat fast.

 

_ Dear Mr. Lobo, _

 

_ I am looking forward to it. _

 

_ Eiji Okumura, photographer _

 

His mind ran a million miles a minute. 

 

More information on the merman. More answers.

 

Still, this did very little to sedate his feelings on the matter. The weekend was still a few days away, and he wasn’t about to press for answers via email until their in person meeting. 

 

He sat up and reached for his laptop, which had been placed on the nightstand virtually untouched since he had arrived in this country beyond setting it up to the hotel’s wifi. He tended to prefer his cell phone, only using it for photoshop or other photo editing processes. Still, for what he wanted to do, he figured a laptop would be more convenient. 

 

Immediately after booting it up, he went straight to google.

 

_ Mermaid _ he searched.

 

He a bunch of generic headlines about the aquarium, as well as your typical mythos and Little Mermaid. The opening date of the aquarium was already well known by him.

 

_ Mermaid controversy  _ he tried.

 

Articles about the secrecy of the aquarium popped up. People questioning why no photos were released. Others questioning if this was a hoax, harkening to the FeeJee circus mermaid where they’d sew monkeys to fish tails and present them as mermaid corpses.

 

Others brought up the fact that mermaid corpses  _ had _ been found and verified a few years ago. Sure, they were heavily decayed with very little to work off besides having a skeletal system of a human-like torso and fish tail, but very little was known beyond that.

 

Eiji figured by now with Ibe’s guidance that it was all a publicity stunt. People debating about whether or not he was real, why there were no photographs, and so forth only caused there to be more discussion. More curiosity.

 

Still, as interesting as it was, this wasn’t what he was looking for.

 

_ Mermaid animal rights _ he searched instead.

 

He got an article from PETA as the head search. Not exactly what he was looking for. He went to the news tab. Below PETA, there were articles about PETA’s outlandish statements, news about protests planned, and so forth. He clicked on a few, but they didn’t provide much. More the fact that people  _ were _ protesting, and likening it to the Sea World orca controversies. 

 

Still not what he was looking for. Sure orca were intelligent, but they were no human-minded individuals. Or  _ potentially _ human minded individuals.

 

_ Mermaid animal rights opinion. _

 

Still didn’t really narrow much down, so he decided to scroll and search. He found an article entitled  **_Captive Merman Sparks Moral Debate_ ** by the New York Times and clicked on it.

 

The article wasn’t terribly long. It involved statements from some of those with moral qualms, arguing that there hasn’t been enough research to determine what sort of conditions the merman should live in. Others argued that humans ruin everything--that they should just let the merman go. 

 

He wasn’t looking for that perspective. Sure, it was important ethically, but after his encounter...

 

_ Mermaid intelligence _ .

 

Articles about findings showing that the merman lacks any noteworthy intelligence.  **_Human Face, Fish Brain?_ ** one article read.  **_Want to Talk to a Mermaid? Scientists Say Talking to a Dolphin is More Likely_ ** read another.

 

No discussion on it. Not questioning of the science. Not what he was looking for.

 

_ Mermaid intelligence debate _ .

 

**_Questions Raised Concerning Mermaid Intelligence_ ** . Bingo! Just what he was looking for.

 

Of course, just as he clicked on it, he heard the doorknob move.

 

“Ei-chan, we’re back!” Ibe called as he opened the door. Both him and Charlie had their arms full with bags and pizza boxes, having trouble opening the door all the way. Eiji quickly bookmarked the tab and rushed over to help them.

 

“You’re back soon!” Eiji greeted them as he took some of the pizza boxes--by weight and heat he could tell that they were full--and placed them on the small table in the hotel room.

 

“Yes, well our sightseeing was cut short!” Charlie exclaimed as he entered the room.

 

“Oh no,” Eiji replied.

 

“No, it’s a very good thing,” Ibe insisted, “It has to do with you!”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes!” Charlie nodded, taking a seat at the hotel table, “We were feeling bad going without you as it was and considered coming right back with the pizzas, but just as we were waiting in line, I got a call.”

 

“About me?” Eiji asked, pulling up the other chair. His stomach growled from the smell of pizza, so he absentmindedly opened the box.

 

“Exactly so,” Charlie smiled as he handed over some paper plates from a paper bag the pizza place provided.

 

“But why?” Eiji asked, taking a plate.

 

“People are very interested in a foreign photographer who is going to be among the first to take pictures of the merman. Shuichi here told me that you’re looking for a big break, so for a while now, I’ve been handing out your business card and sending around your online portfolio--”

 

“You have copies of my business card?”

 

“--and received some calls about you already.”

 

“But why?” Eiji took a piece of pepperoni pizza onto his place, “I do not have very many professional accomplishments. Plus, I am contracted already. Is that not competition?”

 

“No, Eiji, not just for this,” Ibe corrected him, “In general. They know your photos will likely be iconic...historical. Once your photos are published, you will likely be in high demand. For that reason, Charlie has been, at my request, subtly encouraging potential partners to make contact with you  _ beforehand _ .”

 

“For photojournalism?” he asked, taking a bite of the pizza. It was a little too greasy for him, but he wasn’t going to complain.

 

“Eiji, I’m not sure if you’re getting the big picture here,” Charlie explained, “We’re going to see to it that your photos of the merman become among the most iconic photographs  _ ever _ . Once that happens, you will be able to do  _ whatever _ type of photography you wish.”

 

Eiji set the pizza down, his mind still not able to accept what he was hearing.

 

“But what about Ibe?” Eiji asked, “Is he not taking photographs as well? Also many other photographers are to be there.”

 

Ibe walked over to place a hand on his shoulder. “Ei-chan, I have a steady career,” he said with a smile, “I want this to be  _ your _ big break.”

 

“But that--”

 

“That’s why we want your name to be out there ahead of time,” Charlie explained, “Not to mention, having the hype behind you  _ helps  _ our newspaper, as it causes people to anxiously await for our publication. Plus, Shuichi here is an old friend, and I’m happy to pull strings.”

 

“So what about the call?” Eiji asked.

 

“Right!” Charlie exclaimed, “Business venture.”

 

“You sound like an agent,” Eiji raised an eyebrow.

 

“Haha, we’ll work on that later when things are more settled,” he laughed, “But anyway, I have a friend from National Geographic. They’re headquartered in DC, but she’s coming up to New York for the weekend and is interested in talking to you.”   
  


“National Geographic?” Eiji’s eyes grew wide. He hated photojournalism as a concept, but he loved National Geographic. It...It was a thing in and of itself.

 

“Yeah, I’ve written for them in the past,” Charlie shrugged, “It’s no big deal. They’re not part of the press junket for this aquarium opening due to their controversial decision to pull sponsorship last minute, so they’re interested in finding a freelancer that is already in the area and familiar with everything.”

 

“Would that be against our contract?”

 

“Not once our article goes out,” Ibe explained, “You’re only exclusive for covering the grand opening.”

 

Eiji looked at his hands and noticed they were trembling slightly. What he was hearing didn’t feel  _ real _ . This could be his big break. What he had been hoping for for so long.

 

“When does she wish to meet?”

 

“Saturday at noon.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of a drag to write, which was part of why it took so long despite not being so long. Now that this is over, I'll hopefully pick up the pace writing more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to try and post this on Ash's birthday but oops. Happy birthday anyway?

Eiji stood outside of the apartment building near the edge of Central Park.It was very tall and he could tell the people going in and out of it were incredibly wealthy, making him and his ordinary clothes and several generations old iphone stick out like a sore thumb. Still, this was the place and time he had been given, so he patiently waited.

 

The doorman gave him a funny look, but Eiji tried to politely nod to acknowledge him, but he merely frowned.

 

“Are you waiting for someone?” he finally asked.

 

“I--yes,” Eiji stumbled.

 

“You’ve been waiting for quite a while now, haven’t you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Have you heard from who you’re meeting?”

 

“Well,”  he found himself sweating, “I’m a little early, and I didn’t want to--”

 

“Who are you meeting?”

 

“Max Lobo, sir.”

 

\---

 

_ “I still don’t understand,” Ibe shook his head, “This was everything you wanted.” _

 

_ “I told you, I am meeting a friend,” Eiji shrugged as he idly flipped through the channels of the hotel room tv. _

 

_ “Your friend can’t wait?” Ibe put a hand to his temple. _

 

_ “No, he’s coming from far away...just to see me,” he lied. _

 

_ “Where?” Ibe asked skeptically. _

 

_ “Uh...Kentucky.” _

 

_ “Like Kentucky Fried Chicken?” _

 

_ “Yeah,” he continued to lie, “It’s a state.” _

 

_ “I know it’s a state. Why didn’t you mention this before?” _

 

_ “Didn’t think it was that important, I guess,” Eiji shrugged. _

 

\---

 

As he said he would, Max Lobo met him at the front door of the building. Just in time, because Eiji wasn’t sure just how much longer the doorman was going to tolerate his loitering.

 

“Eiji!” he called out as he exited the doors, interrupting the doorman’s questioning.

 

“Mr. Lobo!” Eiji replied with a sigh of relief.

 

“Is there any problem here?” Max asked the doorman.

 

“No sir,” he backed off, though not without still giving a side eye to Eiji.

 

“Alright then,” Max nodded, turning back towards the door, “Come on in. I would had you call me to ring you in, but I realized I never gave you a code."

 

“It’s no problem,” Eiji shook his head as he quickly scuttered to follow him.

 

The inside of the apartment building was somehow more impressive than the outside. Better than the hotel Eiji was staying in by a longshot. The entryway was big and grand with large red and yellow rugs on marble floors, velvet red sofas, and an impressively large and intricate crystal chandelier. They made it to the elevators, and Eiji noticed there was a man there whose apparent job was only to push the buttons for those going up and down. 

 

“I’m not this rich, by the way,” Max interrupted his thoughts as the elevator pinged and opened up, “I’m usually located in LA, but News Week set this up.”

 

“I see,” Eiji nodded. 

 

Still, Eiji and Ibe had been put up in a middle of the road hotel. For Max to be put in a very lavish apartment building near Central Park meant that he must be an important and valuable reporter.

 

Max’s room was on the 34th floor. The elevator pinged as they reached it, and out they went down the similarly rugged lavish hallways to Max’s room in silence. Once they reached the door, Max fumbled for his keys and unlocked it.

 

“Come on in,” Max greeted him, as he swung open the door. As nice and lavish as the apartment was, it was far more understated in terms of decorations--primarily given all of the papers and files thrown everywhere. Newspapers and a few laptops sat upon the dining room table, while Eiji could see several notebooks piled up on one of the chairs. Not that unlike Ibe’s apartment sometimes was when he was working on certain things, he recalled. It made him smirk.

 

“Sorry, it’s a mess,” Max gave an embarrassed smile, rubbing his hand through his light brown hair.

 

“No, it is fine!” Eiji insisted, “It is related to your work, right?”

 

“It is,” Max nodded, his expression turning more serious. He signaled to a chair not completely covered. “Why don’t we sit down and start talking about this. What do you like to drink?”

 

“Drink?”

 

“Coffee? Tea? Water?”

 

“You don’t need to--”

 

“Because I want some coffee,” Max interrupted him as he walked into the kitchen area.

 

“Um, water is fine,” Eiji found his face flushing as he sat down at the table.

 

A few moments later, Max returned with a coffee mug in one hand and a normal glass of water for Eiji. He handed Eiji the glass, to which Eiji thanked him, and sat down on the opposite side of the table. For a moment the two sat in silence as they sipped at their drinks.

 

“So you want to talk about the merman,” Max finally broke the silence as he placed down his mug and wiped the coffee from his upper lip.

 

“Ah...yessir,” was all Eiji could manage to reply.

 

“So,” he leaned forward slightly, “How much do you know?”

 

“About the merman?”

 

“Well, yes,” Max raised an eyebrow. Eiji immediately felt stupid, his face growing even hotter.

 

“Well, I know what they said to us in the meetings and what is in articles,” he managed, “How they said they found him in the ocean. How he has the mind of a fish.”

 

“And do you believe that?” Max’s eyebrow raised even higher.

 

“Well…” Eiji paused for a moment. The merman responded to him, didn’t he? He put his hand against the glass... _ smiled _ at him. “No,” he finally responded, “I do not.”

 

“Didn’t think so,” Max grinned.

 

“He was just...He was very  _ human _ . He looked at me too... _ smart _ . Not like a fish. I do not understand.”

 

“Well, two things,” Max explained, “First of all, if he is an intelligent human-minded being, keeping him locked up in a fish tank for people to gawk at is incredibly immoral. Gotta pretend like he’s a fish brain. Pretty and humanlike enough to attract a crowd, but not human enough that you don’t get all the wackjobs and lawsuits coming after you. Well, I’m sure PETA and others would be against it no matter what, but you know what I mean.”

 

“Sure but,” Eiji bit his lip as he thought of the proper way of phrasing it eloquently in his nonnative language. “If he was so human to me, how would others not...also see that? Even if scientists are liars, would guests see his behavior?” 

 

“Well, that gets to my second thing,” Max continued, “You’re absolutely right about scientific information being intentionally skewed.  _ But _ …”

 

“But?” Eiji tilted his head.

 

“He kind of just avoids everyone. Every scientist, even the good ones--he remains completely unresponsive to them. To be fair, I think given all he’s gone through it’s for good reason, but up until now he’s just sort of sulked in the corner of his tank. Until you. He seemed to like you.”

 

“Me?” Eiji felt as though his heart skipped a beat, “But--”

 

“I only saw the tail end of your encounter with him, but even then  _ no one _ has ever gotten him to swim up to them like that. Plus, I’m sure you noticed the second he saw  _ me _ he swam away.”

 

Eiji shook his head, “How do you know this? You are a reporter. You said you were breaking rules.”

 

“I am,” Max leaned back with a smile, “But I have insiders.”

 

“Insiders?”

 

“One of the scientists working on the case reached out to me not long ago,” Max explained, “Young kid, but an absolute genius.”

 

“And he knows that the merman is smart?” Eiji asked, “Why do you not publicly leak the information?”

 

“Well, because like I said earlier, the merman isn’t cooperating. His hands are tied on what sort of tests he can do that would have skewed results in Golzine’s favor. For now, it’s better to have a guy like him on the inside, because if he’s canned know he would be replaced by someone absolutely willing to cooperate for a big paycheck.”

 

“I see…” Eiji gripped his glass again. After a moment, he looked back up at Max. “Do you think it is possible Mr. Golzine doesn’t know that the merman is humanlike?”

 

“I’d say no. Or at the very least, he knows that there’s a possibility he is, which is why he’s doing all that he is.”

 

“So what should we do?”

 

“Well, I wasn’t entirely sure before, but now I’m thinking of something...But first, do you mind if I ask  _ why _ you’re so interested?”

 

“Why?” Eiji repeated.

 

“Yes. Why are you interested in the merman? Why do you care that he’s intelligent?”

 

“Oh, well,” Eiji pondered the question for a moment, “Because I’ve always really liked mermaids very much. When I was in elementary school, my father would take me out on his boat and I would tell myself mermaids were in the water.”

 

“So you think he’s cool? Like a fun creature coming to life.”

 

“Not really,” Eiji shook his head, “Well...It is like stories coming true. I think that is why I wanted to see him and broke the rules to go up to him. But…”

 

“Go on.”

 

“I think he is the same as me. As us. So it is not right to keep him there. So I want to help him.”

 

“Good,” Max smiled, “Now tell me, can you meet me tomorrow night at 11 pm?”

 

“11 pm?” Eiji asked, “Late at night?”

 

“Right,” Max confirmed, “The press opening is soon, but before that...I wanna see something.”

 

\---

Ibe was not pleased at Eiji for wanting to leave so late in the middle of the night,  _ especially _ so soon after his weird behavior in missing out on speaking to National Geographic. Still, Eiji managed to convince him that he was young and wanted to spend a night out like any other tourist. It wasn’t like they had anything planned the next day. Not to mention, it wasn’t like Ibe was his dad. Eiji was a grown college graduate. He could do what he wanted, right?

 

Sneaking into a locked aquarium in the middle of the night was probably questionable, however. Well, okay, perhaps some dumb teens might do it for a secret date, but not to help expose mistreatment. Well, okay, some extreme animal rights activists might do that too.

 

But it wasn’t really normal for a young Japanese tourist. Still, he took a train out and met at the nearest train station just as Max had instructed him to. It was a bit out of the way and the biggest draw to that station, the aquarium, had closed hours ago so it was quite easy for them to find each other.

 

“We are really going to do this?” Eiji found himself half saying to Max, half himself.

 

“You already snuck into the exhibit before, didn’t you?” Max raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

 

“Yes, but that was…”

 

“It’s no big deal, then,” Max playfully smacked him on the shoulder as they continued out of the subway station, “We’re meeting someone, after all.”

 

“The scientist?”

 

“Of course.”

 

They reached the aquarium pretty quickly. In the dark, it was a lot more nerve wracking of a walk, but Max was confident enough and they made it safely nonetheless. At the grand doors, instead of other press and aquarium workers as there had been the previous day, instead there was a single young man waiting there.

 

He was quite tall, but still visibly very young as Max had described.  _ Too  _ young to be such an accomplished scientist. Yet there he was, dimly lit by a few lights on near the doorway in a lab coat and lanyard around his neck.

 

“Mr. Lobo,” he waved.

 

“Dr. Sing,” Max responded with a nod, “This is Eiji Okumura from Japan. He’s the photographer I’ve been telling you about.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Eiji greeted him nervously, yet politely.

 

“Hi,” Sing nodded. He took a key from around his lanyard and unlocked the front door. He opened it slightly but turned around. “If we see security, you’re a guest of mine,” he told Eiji.

 

“Okay,” Eiji nodded.

 

“Don’t be so nervous,” Sing chuckled as he went through the door, seeing how hesitant Eiji was, “I’m  _ supposed _ to be here. It’s not like we’re breaking in or anything. There also aren’t that many night guards, so it’s possible we won’t even come across any at all.”

 

“O-Okay,” Eiji repeated.

 

“Eiji here’s new to this whole thing,” Max laughed, “Cut him some slack.”

 

Sing merely chuckled in response as he turned on some light switches to illuminate the halls. He guided them down the corridors, Max and Eiji following closely behind. Eiji was obviously familiar with it once Sing would flip the lights on, having been there a few days ago, but the massive size and many hallways and exhibits of the aquarium probably would have rendered him lost.

 

“Here we are,” Sing called out as they approached the familiar doorway that Eiji had previously snuck through. He used a separate key to unlock it. However, he merely cracked it open and turned to Eiji. “Let’s see if he comes to you again.”

 

Eiji blinked for a few moments before he realized what Sing was implying. “You want me to go alone?”

 

“Just for a little while,” Sing nodded, “The old man here said he actually paid attention to you, but then swam off the second he came up.”

 

“We’ll come in after,” Max added.

 

“Alright,” Eiji nodded, biting his lip. Sing moved out of the way so that he could go through the door alone. With a deep breath, he did.

 

The exhibit was more organized and tidy than the previous time he came. Some parts that were clearly about to be painted now were complete. It still wasn’t completed yet, but it was easy to see how it would be in a week’s time for the press opening.

 

Still, his main focus was on the tank in front of him. Large, but still quite empty feeling. He didn’t see the merman, but he knew now that he didn’t like to remain in the open. With a knot in his throat, he could only hope that he would trust him once again.

 

Before he knew it, Eiji made it to the glass of the tank. The merman wasn’t in front of him. He looked across to the far corners of the glass, wondering if he was hiding or resting in a corner.

 

A sudden  _ thump  _ on the glass startled him.  Eiji lifted his gaze and looked at what appeared through the corners of his eyes.

 

Once again, his eyes locked with the stunning green eyes of the merman.

 

The eyes looking back at him seemed surprised. Not in a fearful way, rather an “I didn’t expect you to be here” way. At first Eiji wondered if he didn’t  _ want _ him to be here. Yet as he looked closer at the wide eyed face looking back at him, the expression slowly grew softer. Grateful almost.

 

Slowly, Eiji brought his hand to the glass of the tank. As before, the merman looked at his hand with hesitation at first. Then, with a small smile, he reached his hand up as well. When the tips of their fingers met from across the glass, the merman looked back up at Eiji.

 

There was something incredibly sad, looking at the merman. His incredibly beautiful, incredibly  _ human _ face, although smiling slightly looked very...sad. As if his green eyes had an incredible loneliness that Eiji couldn’t imagine.

 

“Do you miss the ocean?” Eiji asked, knowing that he couldn’t respond. However, the merman did give a curious look towards his mouth at the sudden movement. 

 

“Do you have a language?” Eiji asked, “Do you talk like we do?” Again the merman merely looked at Eiji’s face questionably. Eiji figured they had to have  _ some _ way of communicating, but perhaps the merman didn’t recognize speaking through their mouth like humans do. After all, they’re underwater.

 

Suddenly, the merman opened his mouth. A few bubbles came out as he shaped his lips in a way that appeared to form sounds. This surprised Eiji, even if he couldn’t hear him through the glass and couldn’t be sure if he was speaking words or merely imitating.

 

Still, it definitely showed he wasn’t any unintelligent “fish brain”.

 

“Eiji!” a voice called out from behind, “How’s it going?”

 

As before, the merman’s gaze turned suddenly frightful and quickly swam away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it was somewhat of a vague exposition chapter. I have this story outlined, and I hope to have things get more interesting soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I kind of wrote it fast and am impatient with proofing, so I will likely go back and edit things I inevitably end up noticing.
> 
> Also the place Eiji went is a real place I've been to. If you're interested here is a link: http://akayunaebasan.sakura.ne.jp/


End file.
